Franciscan Poor Clare Sisters of Duncan

I must admit, this is my favorite time of year. The warmth of the sun, the color and beauty of flowers everywhere all contribute to a strong sense of God's unfolding grace among us which is easier for me to see in the summer months. Sometimes the heat forces you to a slower more reflective pace, and that can give you the opportunity to ponder the wisdom of creation as it is revealed to us.

We are finishing up several maintenance projects within the building. The workers who have been here pretty steadily since January are mostly gone. They were extremely respectful of our space, and tried to work with our schedule, but it is a relief to have our monastery more back to "normal". The cats are glad as well, though it seems they became unofficial supervisors of the project.

We will soon be holding our great public celebration of the year for the Feast of St. Clare. We will have an outdoor liturgy on our grounds at 10 am on Saturday, August 8. Light refreshments follow as always. Since this is the grand 800th anniversary celebration of the approval of the Franciscan Rule, we are especially blessed this year to have the Provincial of the Friars of Western Canada, Fr. Dennis Vavrek OFM as our celebrant. We look forward to those of you who may be able to join us, and hope you will mark your calendars. For those unable to attend, be assured we will be holding you in our hearts and our prayer.

Sr. Dawn Marie